Thanks for participating in Yale Adcom chat on Thursday. It was a very nice session with many great questions and insightful answers to them by Rebekah. Here are select Q&As from the chat. If anyone wants the read complete chat transcript, the same is attached to this post.
YaleinMind: Hi Rebekah, could you please put some light on impact investing career opportunities available in Yale, what companies do recruiting for impact investing profile? What is the typical career progression in this sector after Yale MBA?
Yale_Rebekah: Impact investing has become a very important source of employment for our students. Obviously, the firms are smaller than the bulge banks or financial services firms, so I hesitate to drop too many names (many hire just one or two graduates/year given their size). That being said, Acumen Fund is a name that many will recognize. On an extra-curricular level, I'd recommend that you join the finance club to prepare for interviews and Net Impact club for contacts.
KC: I already hold a MBA degree from University in India. Can I Apply for Yale SOM?
Yale_Rebekah: You can apply. We have admitted people with previous MBAs in the past, but you will need to explain why you need a second MBA. That can be difficult for some of our applicants.
mbastudent12: Hello, since Yale SOM is a very global business school - are there ways applicants can make up for a lack of foreign work experience in other ways to demonstrate a global perspective? (Domestic nonprofit work with different cultures, travel, etc.) Thank you!!
Yale_Rebekah: While we love people to come with us with a global perspective, the more important trait for you to demonstrate is broad-mindedness. Are you willing to learn from others who aren't like you? If the answer is yes, you'll fit in fine here.
whittierst: What advice to you have for an applicant who had a "rough" time in college as demonstrated by a below average GPA? For instance, do graded post-graduate on-line extension courses (i.e. through Yale or another university's extension) help mitigate that issue?
Yale_Rebekah: That's a great question. We recognize that there is no perfect applicant or application, and you can often make up for a less than stellar academic record through subsequent work experience or academics.
ankurgupta03: Hi Rebekah, can you please tell me about the opportunities in education domain post graduation?
Yale_Rebekah: The education space is another big employer of our students. Many work for public sector consulting, Teach for America (or its affiliates), or charter schools in the USA and abroad. We help make this possible through our post-graduation loan forgiveness program, which provides up to $101,000 in post-MBA support for all students in public service.
Doctorhm: Yale's first year is core-based. Though, definitely different from many colleges. That's great. But, nevertheless are students allowed to take electives in their respective areas of interest prior to summer internship?
Yale_Rebekah: Yes, you actually must start taking electives in the spring term of your first year. There may be an opportunity for electives in the fall, but probably only if you exempt out of a core course that term.
Pillarsofcreation: Hi Rebekah, Thank you for doing this. I am a prospective candidate from India. For the past 2 years I have been running a startup, and now plan to move into product management or similar roles in tech companies. How successful have Yale MBA’s been in getting a job/internship at startups such as Uber/AirBnB or large tech companies such as Amazon/Google/Apple?
Yale_Rebekah: The tech sector has been a growing sector for us over the past several year. Many of our Indian graduates have great success obtaining jobs at Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc. We run an annual job trek each year to Silicon Valley to meet companies and employers, which is a great way to continue your job search.
tad: How does the admission committee view our inability to get our current manager as a recommender?
Yale_Rebekah: Another great question! We understand that many people are applying in confidence, as letting their boss know they'll be leaving shortly is not something they want to share! As long as you explain this to us -- the reason why you're not using your current supervisor -- we understand. A great location to do this is in the Optional Statement section.
whittierst: Several business schools are offering online "readiness" programs to prospective MBA students. What do you think of those and how might they be considered as part of an applicant’s overall presentation?
Yale_Rebekah: If you use these for quantitative preparation, that's fine. Courses that focus on 'softer skills' are harder to teach online and therefore viewed with a little more skepticism. Any preparation you do is viewed positively, but not required if you don't need it.
rachitjain: Is Yale Silver Scholar Programme any different from a regular MBA?
Yale_Rebekah: Yes, the Silver Scholars program is a little different because it is 3 years. You complete your first year studies at Yale SOM, obtain an internship in your second year (no tuition!), and then return for your third year.
Mib_zndbeb: How important are the video questions?
Yale_Rebekah: Video questions are helpful because they show your ability to think 'on your feet' and it allows us to assess English. You will be representing Yale, so can we put you in front of a recruiter with a little coaching? To be honest, most people are completely fine - it's somewhat unusual for a candidate to distinguish themselves negatively!
abhinavverma09: Another question Rebekah , How do you view a candidate who has been diverse in his approach all through his life and is not sure of his post mba goals. He is sure what he needs to learn would guide him to his final goal but isn't sure what his short term goal immediately after an mba would be?
Yale_Rebekah: We recognize that many of you are career switchers, and are often pursuing an MBA with vague goals. That's alright, but try to have a sense of what is interesting to you (is it a function rather than an industry, perhaps?).
ArielH08: Is there any benefit to submitting your application well before the deadline or are all applications viewed together after the deadline?
Yale_Rebekah: There's no advantage to applying early I'm afraid - we don't start reviewing applications until after the deadline for that round.
tad: How important are GPA and the GMAT for granting aid/scholarships/waiver? What are the typical scores for successful scholars?
Yale_Rebekah: GPA and GMAT are important factors for granting scholarships, but it's really the strength of the whole profile. Please note that like many business schools, we only have merit-based scholarships.
AttorneyBrian: How is Yale SOM adapting or changing its curriculum to suit the change in the job market in the recent years? What changes are on the horizon? How have employers reacted to these changes in Yale SOM's curriculum or program?
Yale_Rebekah: We think we have a strong curriculum that teaches management from different perspectives. This was launched in 2006, and we've only made tweaks to it. We've strengthened our leadership development program for example, to respond to students' needs to more experiential learning.
Pillarsofcreation: How does Yale support candidates who are looking to startup a business in US? What are some key features of the entrepreneurship programme that was launched in 2014?
Yale_Rebekah: Great question. Kyle Jensen sits just downstairs from me, and makes sure there is an academic component to our course offerings on entrepreneurship, as well as co-curricular offerings (like the Yale Entrepreneurial Institute) and clubs. There's also a program that pays the interest on your educational loans for 2 years so that you develop your idea here at SOM post-graduation.
YaleinMind: Does admission committee review previous year’s application along with present application for re-applicants?
Yale_Rebekah: Yes.
rachitjain: What is the conversion scale that should be used for GPA calculation by international applicants when applying to Yale?
Yale_Rebekah: We don't really convert the GPAs. We know that a first class, first division is really, really good.
mib_k5wzxd: Does Yale SOM also take into account the number of attempts for the GMAT?
Yale_Rebekah: Yes, we actually do. We generally tell applicants to stop at 3 attempts because no one ever seems to improve that much after 3.
mbastudent12: Can you expand on the recent grading policy changes - especially related to disclosure? And how this compares to other business schools and trends in recruiting?
Yale_Rebekah: Our grading change....The big change is that we now have a forced curve at the bottom for core courses. The bottom 5% of the core receives non-proficient grades. There were no changes to grades disclosure: the student owns their record.
Pillarsofcreation: I understand the value of recommendations in the admission process. Since I have been working as a co-founder of a startup for more than 2 years, I don't have any supervisor, but only my partner to recommend me. How do candidates who are admitted to Yale after heading a business manage recommendations?
Yale_Rebekah: In your situation, I'd recommend a recommendation from your partner, and perhaps one from a customer or investor?
Doctorhm: Are loans provided by Yale to individuals without co-signer? Does Yale have a tie up with
Prodigy Finance?
Yale_Rebekah: Yes. We use
Prodigy Finance as the provider for international student loans.
Pillarsofcreation: What do you think is the biggest misconception about Yale SOM and the admission process in general that we as candidates don't know about?
Yale_Rebekah: Another great question. I think the same misconception is shared across all of my colleagues at different schools. To get into a strong program like Yale, you don't have to have done unusual and crazy things. You don't need to be extraordinary. In fact, most of our admitted students are very ordinary people who have done very ordinary things. They've just done them extraordinarily well.
whittierst: Should an applicant who is interested (or even applying at the same time for) a joint degree in, for instance, Global Affairs, mention that in his/her application?
Yale_Rebekah: Yes! If you're applying to two degrees at Yale, we like to know. I'd expect it would also inform how you answer the questions along the way as well. We can't guarantee acceptance, but we can coordinate with them a little bit as well.
Doctorhm: What are the most famous electives, irrespective of concentration?
Yale_Rebekah: Popular courses include: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capitalism, Doing Business in the Developing World, anything taught by Jeff Garten
Doctorhm: I have two more questions. First, on an average how many clubs are students usually part of?
Yale_Rebekah: It depends on the clubs because some are pretty intense. If you have a leadership position in the finance club for example, you probably will do that and one 'fun club'. The hockey (ice, not field) is very popular here too. Other people belong to 3-4 clubs, assuming they don't have leadership positions.
Doctorhm: Thank you once again. My second question is what role do student career clubs play in the career search?
Yale_Rebekah: Again, this depends on the club. Finance and consulting help prepare each other for interviews and are invaluable in a career search. Others play a truly extracurricular role (i.e., food and wine club, soccer club).
mib_k5wzxd: How much of a focus is given on seeing the extra-curricular side of the applicant? Is it quite considerable? Or does that only enhances your profile
Yale_Rebekah: It's not really quantity, but quality. Why do you participate in this activity? Is it just to look good on your application or something you care about? Not everyone has the time to do anything other than sleep, eat, and work. We understand that too. It's just more about getting a sense of who you are and what 'makes you tick'.
mbastudent12: Can you talk about recruiting opportunities within the sports industry? I noticed some of the professional leagues in the employment reports
Yale_Rebekah: Yes, we've got some great opportunities at the NBA and other sports organizations. This is a growing field because many of these leagues have only caught on to the value of the MBA in the last decade or so. It's pretty exciting, and surprisingly, they don't always take our students who were competitive athletes (but I'm sure that doesn't hurt!).
Chat TranscriptAttachment: